"Rouge de Verone" lettuce endive (Cichorium intybus) is a vegetable of high gustatory and nutritional value. It develops loose, oval heads that take on an intense dark crimson colour and consist of flat, fleshy and broad leaves with distinct white venation. Lettuce endive is crunchy, juicy and stands out with a bitter taste. This vegetable is rich in minerals, such as kalium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc. The intriguing colouring of the foliage and specific, bitter taste make it a perfect addition to salad mixes. It is mostly eaten raw, but might be fried or baked in the Italian cuisine.

Seeds of the lettuce endive need to be sown from June to July directly to the field, making an autumn harvest possible. You may also cultivate endive from spring sow, so the harvest takes place after 3 - 4 months. "Rouge de Verone" lettuce endive may be "blanched" after the harvest. For that purpose you need to place the heads with their roots in complete darkness for a few days. The leaves should become in colour, the venation paler and the taste more tender. This vegetable prefers permeable soils rich in humus and nutrients with high water capacity.

Each package contains 0.5 g of the "Rouge de Verone" lettuce endive seeds. Growing instructions and the sow-by date are included in the package information.

• Weight: 0.5 g
• Use: direct consumption - raw, fried or baked
• Growth form: loose, oval heads
• Foliage: dark crimson, flat, fleshy, broad leaves
• Site: permeable soil rich in humus and nutrients with high water capacity